Bryce is correct in his description of higher education. This is not really a new development either, universities have been engaging in sponsored research for the defense sector for decades and they've been involved in real estate holdings for a very long time. We certainly know about that here in Houston where Rice University evicted a low-income serving supermarket, one of the very few in the area of Midtown Houston, on land they owned far from their campus just so they could build some private-sector technology start-up 'incubator'. Oh, and they even built a space for TedX talks so you know there's going to be many a neoliberal circlejerk going on there. Meanwhile, many people who live near Midtown now have to take a bus to go to a supermarket in a wealthier area.
In addition to all of that, universities will be a major obstacle towards healthcare reform. Universities get sponsored research from the pharmaceutical industry and they also run hospitals which overcharge patients. Universities will fight hard to ensure that the current healthcare system, or something even more privatized, continues.
Since Bryce is a student at Indiana University, I wonder if he's familiar with the work of now-retired Indiana University professor Murray Sperber. Sperber's 2000 book, 'Beer & Circus: How Big-Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education' is a must-read for anyone interested in US higher education or anyone starting an undergraduate career. While big-time intercollegiate athletics is a major theme of the book, it really isn't so much about athletics as much as it is how large universities try to escape from actually educating undergraduate students.
Great interview! It gave me a modicum of hope for the future.
Bryce is correct in his description of higher education. This is not really a new development either, universities have been engaging in sponsored research for the defense sector for decades and they've been involved in real estate holdings for a very long time. We certainly know about that here in Houston where Rice University evicted a low-income serving supermarket, one of the very few in the area of Midtown Houston, on land they owned far from their campus just so they could build some private-sector technology start-up 'incubator'. Oh, and they even built a space for TedX talks so you know there's going to be many a neoliberal circlejerk going on there. Meanwhile, many people who live near Midtown now have to take a bus to go to a supermarket in a wealthier area.
In addition to all of that, universities will be a major obstacle towards healthcare reform. Universities get sponsored research from the pharmaceutical industry and they also run hospitals which overcharge patients. Universities will fight hard to ensure that the current healthcare system, or something even more privatized, continues.
Since Bryce is a student at Indiana University, I wonder if he's familiar with the work of now-retired Indiana University professor Murray Sperber. Sperber's 2000 book, 'Beer & Circus: How Big-Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education' is a must-read for anyone interested in US higher education or anyone starting an undergraduate career. While big-time intercollegiate athletics is a major theme of the book, it really isn't so much about athletics as much as it is how large universities try to escape from actually educating undergraduate students.